Hideya Kumata papers

Record Group

Identifier: UA-17.94

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Hideya Kumata papers consist primarily of materials related to Kumata’s job as a professor of communications. The majority of these materials are undated.

The bulk of these papers consists of original research data that Kumata used when working on papers, such as anonymous surveys, tests, and computer printouts processing survey data. Most of the research data is undated. The only date found indicated some of the computer printouts were from 1966.

In addition to research data, the collection contains materials Kumata used for class, such as tests and syllabi, some correspondence, handwritten notes on various topics, material from seminars and conferences Kumata attended, and drafts of papers and books he was working on. Much of this material is also undated.

The collection also contains a Nisei Attitudes survey conducted by the Nisei Kyokai Board and Hideya Kumata of the International Communication Center at MSU. Nisei is a term used to describe children born to Japanese who have emigrated to new countries, and in this case, in the United States. Nisei were asked to participate in the survey for research purposes.

Dates

Creation: 1956-1966, undated

Creator

Kumata, Hideya (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Biographical Note

Hideya Kumata was born on May 8, 1921 in Seattle, Washington. He earned a B.A. from Iowa State University and an M.A. from the University of Illinois. He joined the Michigan State University faculty in 1956 as an associate professor in the College of Communication Arts. In 1962, he became a professor, and from 1967 to 1971 Kumata served as the director for the International Communication Institute. His main focus of research was cross cultural communication. Kumata received the MSU Distinguished Faculty Award in 1967.

Kumata served as a visiting professor at the International Christian University in Tokyo from 1963 to 1964, and was a Senior Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu from 1971 to 1972. He was a member of the American Sociological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Society for International Development. He published two books, Four Theories of Propoganda and Inventory of Instructional Television Research.

Hideya Kumata died in 1972.